Usually epiphytic, sometimes terrestrial; stem to 60 cm long, 3.5-5 cm diam.; roots very dense, spreading-ascending, greenish to white, smooth, ca. 7-15 cm long, ca. 5 mm diam.; cataphylls subcoriaceous, lanceolate, straight or hooked, to 14 cm long, acuminate at apex, drying whitish to reddish brown, persisting as linear fibers. Leaves erect-spreading; petioles 7-15(25) cm long, ca. 10 mm diam., sharply D-shaped, somewhat flattened with a medial rib and sharply erect or acute margins adaxially, rounded and sometimes weakly 1-2-ribbed abaxially; geniculum moderately thicker and slightly paler than petiole, 1-3 cm long; blades coriaceous to subcoriaceous, oblanceolate to broadly oblanceolate-elliptic, acute to abruptly and shortly acuminate at apex, acute to broadly rounded or shallowly cordate at base, rarely narrowly acute, (60)90-125 cm long, 20-34 cm wide, broadest above the middle, the margins moderately undulate; upper surface semiglossy, medium green (B&K yellow-green 2/7.5), lower surface weakly glossy, moderately paler; midrib convexly raised to prominently 1-ribbed at base, becoming acutely raised toward the apex above, moderately paler than surface, convexly raised and conspicuously paler than surface below; primary lateral veins (11)16-26 per side, departing midrib at 40-50(60) degree angle, straight-ascending to very near the margin, then arcuate, frequently congested at base, convexly raised above, less conspicuously so below, paler than surface; interprimary veins usually present toward the apex and base of the blade; tertiary veins rather obscure above, less so below, drying conspicuously raised on both surfaces; reticulate veins prominulous on drying; collective vein arising from near the apex or absent, rather obscure on both surfaces, to 8 mm from margin. Inflorescences erect; peduncle (20)33-60 cm long, 3-5 mm diam., 3-6 times as long as petioles, terete; spathe reflexed, subcoriaceous, green, sometimes tinged with purple, oblong-lanceolate, (9)12-30 cm long, 1-1.7 cm wide, broadest near the base, acuminate at apex, obtuse at base; spadix dark to dull purple to maroon, sessile or stipitate to 4 cm, cylindroid, slightly tapered, somewhat curved, held at 30-50 degree angle from peduncle, 12-23 cm long, 5-6 mm diam. near base, 3-4 mm diam. near apex, broadest at the base; flowers rhombic, 1.2-2.5 mm long, 1.2-1.6 mm wide, the sides smoothly sigmoid; 6-9 flowers visible in principal spiral, 4-5(8) in alternate spiral; tepals muricate; lateral tepals 0.7-1.5 mm wide, the outer margins 2-sided, the inner margins nearly straight to rounded; pistils yellowish when dried; filaments (dried) exserted for 0.2-0.3 mm, 0.3-0.7 mm wide; anthers pinkish, 0.3-0.4 mm long, 0.4-0.5 mm wide; thecae ovate, slightly or prominently divaricate.

Type: Ecuador. Los Ríos: Río Blanco, across river from Villa Hermosa, 3 km S of Santo Domingo–Esmeraldas hwy. at Km 24, 0°05'S, 79°15'W, Croat 50688 (MO 3313109﷓10, holotype; K, QCA, US isotypes).

Esmeraldas: without locality, less than 300 m, Cobb 44 (MO); 20 km S of Esmeraldas, Hacienda Guayas, Sparre 15366 (S); Esmeraldas airport﷓San Mateo, 4.1 km N of bridge over Río Esmeraldas, near sea level, 0°54'N, 79°38'W, Croat 55586 (CM, QCA, MO, US, NY); Esmeraldas﷓Sua, 6.4 km N of Río Sua, 29.4 km SW of jct. with road to Esmeraldas, 40 m, 0°52'N, 79°52'W, Croat 55598 (MO, QCA); Santo Domingo de los Colorados﷓Esmeraldas, 62 km N of Quininde, 80 km SE of Atacames, 270 m, 0°35'N, 79°33'W 79°33'W, Croat 55580 (MO, QCA, NY, RSA); 2.3 km S of El Sucio, 18.6 km S of Atacames-Muisne, 180 m, 0°36'N, 79°54'W, 16 Mar 1992, Croat 73082 (CM, MO). 8.8 km NW of Quininde, 270 m, 0°26'N, 79°03'W, Croat 55554 (MO, QCA); 4.4 km SW of Sua, coastal road, 35.7 km SW of jct. with road to Esmeraldas, near sea level, 0°51'N, 79°53'W, Croat 55608 (MO, QCA); Limónes, sea level, 31 May 1986, Christenson 1521 (MO). Bilsa, 400-600 m, 0°21'N, 79°44'W, 18 May 1995, Clark & Watt 923 (COL, MO, NY, QCNE). 3 m, 1°10'N, 79°03'W, 22 Mayo 1994, Cornejo & Bonifaz 1902 (GUAY, MO ); Shlenker, 200 m, 0°20'N, 79°28'W, 10 Oct 1996, Clark 3027 (MO, QCNE, US); Río Cayapas: Playa Grande, 2 km SE of San Francisco de Cayapas, Sparre 18039 (S); Río Cayapas, Zapallo Grande, 150 m, 78°55'W, 0°49'N, Aug 1982, Kvist & Asanza 40886 (AAU); Río Esmeraldas: opposite Quininde (Rosa Zarate), Asplund 16346 (S); Río Santiago: Borbon, 30 m, Dodson & Embree 13097 (SEL); Río Verde: hill above Businga, 300 m, 1°N, 79°30'W, 27 Mar 1983, Juncosa 801 (MO). Los Ríos: Río Blanco: Santo Domingo de los Colorados﷓Esmeraldas, 3 km S of Km 24, across river from Villa Hermosa, 250 m, 0°05'S, 79°15'W, Croat 50685 (K, MO), 50688 (MO, K, QCA, US); 50693 (B, MO). Río Palenque Science Center, 220 m, 0°35'S, 79°21'W, 10 Apr 1992, Croat 73855 (MO). Manabi: Pata, 300-700 m, 0°1'N, 79°58'W, 21 June 1996, Clark, Arroyo & Hibbs 2709 (MO, QCNE). Pichincha: 10 km NW of Santo Domingo de los Colorados, road to Esmeraldas, Rancho Brahman, 400 m, Sparre 15210 (S); Santo Domingo-Esmeraldas Highway/Valle Hermoso, in vicinity of the bridge over the Río Blanco just S of Valle Hermosa; 410 m, 0°5'S, 79°15'W, 13 Mar 1992, Croat 72987 (MO). below confluence with Río Toachi, 200 m, Harling 4465 (S); confluence of Río Napo and Río Pilaton, Sodiro s.n. (Q).